Nov
13
Model this…
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Here’s part two of Linda Miskin’s interview with Bill Anthony of the Model Cafe, where they cover origins of the name. Relatedly, I was talking to someone last night who was saying the Model used to be pronounced Mo-dell (like Art Modell) back in the mid 90s. I don’t know if that’s a real thing or a drunken hyperregional neo-pronunciation (like my favorite, the swee-who-lay).
LM: What is the history behind the name Model Café?
BA: When my grandfather and father first opened here, it was toward the end of Prohibition. Until Prohibition was repealed in 1933, they couldn’t sell liquor. The first name they gave the place was North Beacon Lunch. We still have that storefront sign.
Later, as the Great Depression was ending in the early 1940s, the federal government started putting money into cities with the aim of getting people out and about and spending money. It was called a Model Program. My grandfather thought that it was a great name and so named the place Model Café.
This bar has been here since Prohibition. That’s unbelievable.
Nov
6
Knowing and being known
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Linda Miskin’s excellent series continues at the Model Cafe, in business for 87(!) years.
On any given night of the week if there are 50 or so people here, I probably know about 30 of them and they know each other. We are grateful for the support we get from our regular customers.
That seems pretty remarkable for an area as transient as this. And beyond that, there’s also the whole novelty vs. regularity thing – I seriously doubt I go into any given bar or restaurant frequently enough to be recognized by the owner. This city has too many new places to try to drink yourself into known-dom.
Sep
19
To the Sunset!
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Linda Miskin’s excellent series continues, most recently interviewing Marc Kadish of Sunset Bar & Grill.
On picking his location-
A broker told me of a good deal in Allston where there was a bargain price and financing. So, I looked at the space and the neighborhood. I soon came up with a concept of how I could open a business and really make something of it. Without much thought or time, I blurted out a low offer and got it.
Getting started-
Eventually, the squash club nearby, which I was a member of, did over their bar, and I was able to get their old draft system. We kept struggling along, making most of our purchases on credit cards and carrying a lot of debt. We put every cent we made back into the business. We opened without all of the things we should have had.
On rare beer steins-
We got a lot of those when the Wursthause in Harvard Square went out of business. One stein we bought was about six feet tall. It had monkeys all over it. It cost thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, it was stolen. People who are into these types of collections really enjoy seeing them here. Sunset Cantina has an extensive array of our collections.
Aug
15
International Bicycle Center
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under bikes, transit | Leave a Comment
I’ve been enjoying Linda Miskin’s articles about Allston’s long-term businesses. Her three part series on Model Hardware is here, here and here. Her newest piece is on International Bicycle Center on Brighton Ave, which you can read in full here.
Interesting to me, particularly in light of recent conversations about transit modes, is their perception of what has helped their business succeed over the past 30 years (emphasis added).
· LM: Is this a good area to start a business?
· HK: You have to have the right niche. There are a lot of students here and a lot of turnover. You have to have a good product and the right product, and you have to commit yourself to what you are doing. We see a lot of businesses come and go. One of the biggest problems for businesses here is parking. We are probably one of the few businesses in this area that has its own parking lot.
It’s amusing (and somehow, telling) that a store that specializes in selling alternatives to cars finds parking to be a particular key to their longevity, despite being within spitting distance of Packard’s Corner. Still, more power to ‘em either way.
ps. Somewhat relatedly, you might be interested in Boston Biker’s successfully executed plan to ride a fixie to P-town.